We have a few short and sweet messages for everyone today. First off, SSA has hired a few new team members and I'm one of them! We have some thoughts and ideas of how secular persons might approach/respond to the holiday season, and some information on jumpstarting celebrating Darwin Day. For all of this and more, read on below!

Have a happy week and make sure you enjoy the lovely delicious gluttony that is the holiday season for me! As always, let us know if you have questions.

Secular Student Alliance Welcomes New Hires

Greetings!

My name is Samuel and I'm the newest campus organizing assistant of the Secular Student Alliance's Campus Organizing team! I hope to be a positive changing force here at SSA. Having been the president of Multicultural Understanding through Non-traditional Discovery Opportunities at OSU last school year, I'm happy to rejoin a team of people dedicated to fostering the increased understanding among people with differences. Atheists are very misunderstood, which is why it is important for groups like SSA to exist to empower non-theists to go out into the world and represent themselves. Ultimately if you don't define yourself, you are leaving said identity up to others to define. You don't want that to happen, trust me.

Anyhow, you will be seeing me and my emails a lot from now on. I hope to speak to you all soon. Until next time folks!

Sam

A Freethinker's Guide to Celebrating the Holiday Season

The holidays can be a particularly awkward time of year for nontheists. Some of us celebrate the traditions we grew up in (whether that be Christmas, Chanukah, or any other) and some of us have chosen to go our own ways and either don’t celebrate or have chosen a more naturalistic celebration (for instance, the Solstice). It may surprise you to know that atheists are just as diverse as any other group during the holidays. There is no “right” answer as to whether you should or shouldn’t celebrate Christmas or if you should say grace at Thanksgiving. I personally know atheists who do celebrate Christmas, say grace at their dinner tables with their families, and some who even go to Midnight Mass with them too. I myself have even struggled with these questions. There is no simple answer. Decide for yourself. Remember, we are freethinkers, and for that reason you should use your own reason and observations to come to your own conclusions.

Jumpstart Planning for Darwin Day

February 12th is Darwin Day - a great opportunity to celebrate science, discovery, and the origin of the vast diversity of life on our planet. It's also a great opportunity for our affiliates to throw a party, hold exciting events, and much more.

But February will be here faster than you think - so start planning early for the big celebration. Check out our Darwin Day Activity Packet - it'll help you plan the festivities with ideas for all kinds of events. Major speakers get booked up fast around Darwin Day, so start working with Nick now if you're planning to find someone through the SSA Speakers Bureau.

SSA affiliates have held just about every event under the sun for Darwin Day, from purely social parties to screenings of films like Flock of Dodos, lectures, debates, panels, and much more. Some groups even plan week-long celebrations, like the University of Northern Iowa Freethinkers & Inquirers - www.darwinweek.com!

Whatever your plans for the big day, we're here to help. Check out our resources and contact us if you need any hands-on assistance with your event!